Rees takes blame for Falcons’ slow offensive start: ‘That’s on me’

FLOWERY BRANCH — On Sunday afternoon, NASCAR races at Talladega, the biggest, fastest track on its schedule. Some two hours northeast, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons will do their own play on the nation’s premier stock car racing organization.

Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said the team has a package called “NASCAR,” far from an uncommon concept across the league. They use it on passing downs and, naturally, put as much speed on the field as they can, such as pairing their most explosive pass rushers with more defensive backs behind them.

“It’s just a combination of different rushes, just trying to keep your fastest — the guys that you believe to be your best guys from a rush perspective out there,” Ulbrich said.

The Falcons’ use of the NASCAR package and what it means is one lesson learned Thursday. Here are five others from Ulbrich, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman from Thursday’s availability before the Falcons’ bout with the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. Sunday in Atlanta.

Rees takes accountability for Falcons’ early offensive woes vs. Bears

The Falcons ran the ball only 12 times in their 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears. They were efficient, totaling 63 yards for 5.3 yards per carry, but their offense hinges on the ground game.

Without it, results like Sunday — one scoring drive through the first nine possessions — become possible.

‘We know our identity,” Rees said. “We know where we’ve been good when we played good offensive football. It starts with the run game and we’re certainly aware of that. We just got to get back to our identity and get back to the things that we do really well.”

Rees conceded multiple times that he’d like back some play-calls. Because the Falcons went away from the run early, they found themselves in disadvantageous third-and-longs more often than desired and converted only three of 12 third downs.

The Falcons recorded only 3 yards on six plays in the first quarter. They had 100 net yards through three quarters. Their offense found a rhythm late, but it took too long — and Rees claimed all accountability with his players, particularly for the team’s inability to create manageable third-down situations.

“Our early down success had been pretty good, and then obviously we got to be better there,” Rees said. “I put that on my shoulders. I told the group on Monday, us starting slow, us having drives that stall out early in the game, early in a drive — that’s on me. It’s not on them.

“I got to put them in the right position to have success, and that’s something that I feel very strongly about.”

Pitts’ evolution key to Falcons reaching their ceiling

Sunday is “National Tight Ends Day,” and Kyle Pitts will enter it with a bevy of momentum. He caught five passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears, and most of his production — four catches, 54 yards, both scores — came in the fourth quarter.

Rees enjoyed seeing Pitts produce at the clip he did, but it didn’t particularly wipe away the stain from an otherwise frustrating day.

“It wasn’t a lot of happiness on Sunday, if I’m being completely honest,” Rees said. “I’m happy for Kyle because of the work he’s put in, the patience he’s had, to get him going. For us to reach our full potential, he’s got to be a big part of that. And for him to kind of stay the course and have success, obviously we want that for him.

“But again, happiness on Sunday was hard to find for me.”

No matter, the Falcons saw glimpses of their vision for Pitts come to life. They leaned on his run-after-catch ability, with 35 of his 60 yards coming after the catch.

“It’s huge,” Rees said of Pitts’ run-after-catch skill set. “I think he’s at his best when he has the ball in his hands in open space. Kyle’s shown that throughout his entire career (and) has certainly shown that over the last few weeks. It’s our job to put him in a position to have those plays.”

Terrell back at practice

The Falcons opened the 21-day window for cornerback A.J. Terrell to practice before returning from injured reserve, and the team hasn’t ruled out Terrell playing Sunday.

Ulbrich said Terrell looked “good” during Wednesday’s practice.

“The thing about A.J. is he’s always gonna try to play,” Ulbrich said. “He’s got a level of toughness, especially from the corner position, that’s pretty exceptional. So, he’s gonna fight his butt off to be ready. Hopefully he will be. We’ll see.

“At the same time, we’re also not going to be irresponsible with him by any means because he’s so important for what we do going forward for the long run.”

Daniels poised to wear green dot if Deablo can’t play

The Falcons practiced without starting linebacker Divine Deablo for the second consecutive day, leaving their team captain and usual green dot — responsible for communicating play-calls from Ulbrich to the rest of the defense — in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game.

Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, who inherited the green dot when Deablo left prematurely against the Bears then suffered an injury scare of his own, orchestrated the Falcons’ defense in Wednesday’s practice.

Ulbrich acknowledged he’s completely comfortable with Daniels, a fourth-round rookie, wearing the green dot, which he experienced during training camp and the preseason and for a handful of snaps in the regular season.

“I think he’s proven to be one of the better communicators I’ve been around, for any players for that matter,” Ulbrich said. “He takes a lot of pride in getting everybody on the same page, takes a lot of pride getting us to the right defense, making the right checks. Hearing him (Wednesday), it was just really cool. So, I’m excited for him about this opportunity. I really am.

“If it falls that way, you’re comfortable. Because at the same time, also, I know Divine and his nature is not to sit. Like, if he can respirate, he’s typically going to try to get out there.”

Despite 2 mistakes, Aukerman has ‘high level of confidence’ in Branch

One day after Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said the team wouldn’t change responsibilities for Zachariah Branch following a muffed punt and fumbled kickoff against the Bears, Aukerman echoed his belief in the third-round rookie.

“The confidence level is still extremely high for Zachariah,” Aukerman said. “We love the skill set. We love how he goes out to work every single day. He works hard. He wants to be great at it. So, the level of confidence is extremely high with him.”